Limb-attachable ball paddles



June 23, 1970 N. A. KIRK LIMB-ATTACHABLE BALL PADDLES Filed June 25, 1968 INVENTOR:

By'- V United States Patent 3,516,668 LIMB-ATTACHABLE BALL PADDLES Norbert A. Kirk, 3915 N. Pine Grove Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60613 Filed June 25, 1968, Ser. No. 739,815 Int. Cl. A63b 31/06, 59/00 US. Cl. 27367 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device attachable to a hand for bouncing or to a shoe for kicking a ball. The device consists of an angulated plate having a pair of plate members substantially at right angles to each other, the plate being provided with openings to receive a hand encircling strap or a shoe lace for holding the device in position. The plate may be relatively rigid, or it may be formed with slots so that it is resiliently flexible. In another embodiment, resiliently flexible bands are attached to the plate to enhance its ball bouncing ability.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in what may generally be referred to as ball paddles, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a very simple by highly eflective and entertaining paddle which may be attached either to a users hand for bouncing a ball, or to a shoe for kicking a ball, as for example against a wall or toward another player.

The device of the invention consists primarily of an angulated plate having a pair of plate members disposed substantially at right angles to each other, this arrangement presenting a pair of right-angularly disposed ball engaging faces as distinguished from the usual planar face of a convention ball paddle, so that the use of the invention considerably increases the enjoyment and exrcise derived from ball playing.

Although in its basic embodiment the right-angularly shaped paddle of the invention is relatively rigid, the invention has, among other of its features, modified embodiments which are resiliently flexible to enhance their ball bouncing or kicking ability. In one such modified embodiment the plate members of the paddle are formed with parallel slots defining resiliently flexible plate portions therebetween. In another modification, resiliently flexible bands are secured to the plate members in spaced parallel relation.

All embodiments of the invention are provided with openings to receive fastening means, as for example a flexible strap for holding the paddle in position on a users hand, or a shoe lace for securing the paddle to a shoe.

The device is simple in construction and lends itself to economical manufacture.

With the foregoing more important objects and features in view and suchother objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the paddle of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional detail showing the score counter in one of the plate members of the device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the paddle;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another modified embodiment;

Patented June 23, 1970 FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional detail of the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the back of a typical paddle with shoe lace attaching means;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing a typical paddle attached to a users hand; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing a typical paddle attached to a shoe.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, more particularly to FIG. 1, one embodiment of the ball paddle of the invention is designated generally by the numeral 10. The same consists of an angulated plate 11, preferably of plastic, the plate including a pair of plate members 12 which are disposed substantially at right angles to each other and present a pair of ball engaging faces 13 in the right angle included between the two plate members, as will be apparent.

Either or both plate members 12 are provided with transversely spaced openings, as for example, the slots 14 and the apertures 15, through which openings a flexible element may be threaded for attaching the device to a users limb. As exemplified in FIG. 1, such a flexible element may assume the form of a strap 16 equipped with a buckle 17, whereby the device may be fastened to the users hand as shown in FIG. 8. Alternatively, the device may be attached by the strap 16 to the leg, as for example at the ankle or adjacent the knee, it being manifest that numerous variations in locating the device on the users limbs are possible. Also, the device may be fastened to a shoe as in FIG. 9 by threading the shoe lace 18 through the apertures 15 so that the device is held in position on the shoe above the instep. In the same context, the device itself may be equipped with its own lace, as at 18a in FIG. 7, such lace being threaded through the apertures 15, passed through the usual eyelets of a shoe, and then tied in a knot around a tying pin 19 provided on the back of one of the plate members 12, as shown. Further still, if the shoe has a buckle strap, such a strap may be passed through the slots 14, in which event the device need not be equipped with its own strap such as the strap 16.

In any event, in the basic embodiment of the paddle shown in FIG. 1 the plate 11 is substantially rigid for ball bouncing or kicking action if preferred, a resiliently flexible bouncing or kicking action may be obtained by using modified embodiments of the device shown in FIGS. 3 and 4-6. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 the plate members 12 of the paddle 10a are each provided with a set of spaced parallel slots 20, so that the plate portions between and at the outside of these slots are resiliently flexible in a plane normal to the plate members for a more pronounced ball bouncing or kicking effect.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 4-6, each plate member 12 of the paddle 10b is provided with a set of spaced parallel bands 21 of resiliently flexible material, preferably plastic, the ends of these bands being suitably secured, as by adhesive or heat sealing, in apertures formed in the plate members as indicated at 22 in FIG. 6. The bands 21 are arched so as to be spaced away from the plate members 12 and their resilient flexibility in a plane normal to the plate members effectively enhances the ball bouncing or kicking action.

It is to be noted that in all embodiments of the invention the right-angularly shaped paddle plate may be caused to engage a ball first with one and then with the other of the two plate members, so that as distinguished from a conventional planar paddle, the paddle of the invention considerably increases the enjoyment, exercise and variety of ball bouncing nd kicking in that the player is afforded what may be referred to as a double ball contact for impelling the ball in any desired direction.

It will be understood, of course, that either the limb encircling strap or the shoe lace attachment means may be provided selectively on the diiferent paddle embodiments of FIGS. 1, 3 and 46.

Also, any one or all of the different embodiments may be equipped with a score keeping device as exemplified in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein an edge portion of one of the plate members 12 is formed with a row of apertures 23 for selective reception of a score keeping pin 24, so that by inserting the pin in the different apertures, a player may effectively keep score of a number of ball bounces or kicks that he has made on a particular occasion.

While in the foregoing there have been described and shown the preferred embodiments of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A limb-attachable ball paddle comprising an angulated plate including a pair of flat plate members disposed substantially at a fixed right angle to each other and presenting a pair of ball engaging faces in the right angle included between said members, said plate members being provided with transversely spaced openings having threaded therethrough a flexible element for attaching the plate to a limb of a user.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of said plate members is formed with a set of spaced parallel slots, said slots defining therebetween individual plate portions which are resiliently flexible in a plane normal to the ball engaging face of the plate member.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 together with a set of spaced parallel bands of resiliently flexible material overlying in spaced relation the ball engaging face of at least one of said plate members, said bands having their ends secured to said one plate member and being flexible in a plane normal to said ball engaging face.

4. The device as defined in claim 1 together with a limb encircling strap threaded through said openings.

5. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said plate is attachable to a users shoe having a shoe lace threaded through said opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,216,457 2/1917 Jelalian 9-307 X 1,492,343 4/1924 Abrams et al. 27367 1,637,278 7/1927 RenZ 27367 X 1,700,251 1/1929 COntolini 273-67 2,228,586 1/ 1941 Protzky 27367 FOREIGN PATENTS 362,345 8/ 1921 Germany.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner R. J. APLEY, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

